Ecto-1
The Ecto-1 was the vehicle that the Ghostbusters used to travel throughout New York City busting ghosts and other entities. History The vehicle used for the Ecto-1 was a 1959 Cadillac professional chassis, built by the Miller-Meteor company. The ambulance/hearse combination was the end loader variety. Dr. Ray Stantz found the vehicle shortly after he mortgaged his mother's house to buy the Firehouse. Because of his mechanical skills, he was able to repair the vehicle, which he acquired for $4,800.Ray Stantz (2005). Ghostbusters (1984) (DVD ts. 20:46). Columbia Pictures. Ray says: "Only 4800." After repairs were completed, the vehicle had quite a unique character. It became a well-recognized symbol for the Ghostbusters franchise. The vehicle had enough room in it to store Proton Packs for all of the crew, along with Ecto Goggles', P.K.E. Meters, and a slew of Traps. Repairs After purchasing the vehicle in used condition, Ray had to make repairs on the following parts of the car:Ray Stantz (2005). Ghostbusters (1984) (DVD ts. 20:36-45). Columbia Pictures. Ray says: "Everybody can relax, I found the car. Needs some suspension work and shocks... and brakes, brake pads, linings, steering box, transmission, rear end."Ray Stantz (2005). Ghostbusters (1984) (DVD ts. 20:46-20:49). Columbia Pictures. Ray says: "Only 4800. Maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring." *Suspension work *Shocks *Brakes *Brake pads *Lining *Steering box *Transmission *Rear end *New rings *Mufflers *(a little) wiring New Incarnations After the Ghostbusters were shut down, the Ecto-1 was used primarily for transport to and from appearances at such places as children's birthday parties. It fell into a state of disrepair, and is seen spewing smoke, and having various other mechanical problems. Following the Ghostbusters' return to business after capturing the Scoleri Brothers, the Ecto-1 got an overhaul and was renamed Ecto-1a. A further updated version of the Ecto-1 appears in during the Thanksgiving 1991 weekend, Ecto-1b. This version is similar to the Ecto-1a, but adds a Super Slammer Muon Trap on the roof which enables it to capture smaller ghosts much more quickly than the portable versions, as well as adding the possibility of capturing much larger ghosts. Secondary Canon History Animated Series The Ecto-1 was modified during much of the cartoons run, including adding weapons a blowup raft device. To read more about the changes go here. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Stylized Versions The Ecto-1 makes only brief appearances in the Stylized Version. It should be noted that the Stylized Version game uses the old name Ecto-1 and not the Ecto-1b like in the Realistic Versions. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Stylized Portable Version The Ecto-1 is drive-able in Stylized Portable Version. Like the standard Stylized Version, it is referred to as the Ecto-1 and not the Ecto-1b. Upgrades are offered to research in Egon's Lab in the Firehouse. Engine Tuning *'Ability:' Increases the Ecto-1's maximum speed. *'Research Cost:' money cost: $750, slime cost: 38 **'Research Duration:' 4 days Body Reinforcement *'Ability:' Reduces collision damage to the Ecto-1 by 10%. *'Research Cost:' money cost: $1000, slime cost: 375 **'Research Duration:' 4 days Proton Acceleration Cannon *'Ability:' Increases the Ecto-1's proton cannon effectiveness by 20%. *'Research Cost:' money cost: $1250, slime cost: 300 **'Research Duration:' 4 days Engine Turbocharge *'Ability:' Increases the Ecto-1's maximum speed even more. *'Research Cost:' money cost: $2000, slime cost: 150 **'Research Duration:' 8 days Alloy Shell *'Ability:' Reduces collision damage to the Ecto-1 by another 15%. *'Research Cost:' money cost: $1500, slime cost: 750 **'Research Duration:' 4 days Megawatt Proton Cannon *'Ability:' Increases the Ecto-1's proton cannon effectiveness by another 20%. *'Research Cost:' money cost: $2000, slime cost: 600 **'Research Duration:' 4 days IDW Comics After Fred's crew of Poltergeists killed Egon, Ray, and Winston, Fred stashed the bodies in Ecto-1. Fred then drove Ecto-1 off into the East River. It appears the Angels later hoisted Ecto from the river in the least. While traversing Janine's memories, Roger Baugh and Egon stumbled on Janine's interview with Peter in the Firehouse, circa 1984. Behind her was the Ecto-1, before Ray finished upgrading it. After the Tiamat incident, the Ecto was changed back to the original Ecto-1 version. Peter and Winston drove Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo to Chinatown in Ecto-1 after descriptions of an entity on a rampage matched that of Chi-You. Michelangelo was happy to man the siren. During the final battle against Chi-You in the Firehouse, Ecto-1's hood was dented by his thralls. Behind the Scenes *Ecto-1 and Ecto-1a are Miller-Meteor Futura Ambulance/Hearse Combination mounted on a 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood Professional Chassis. *Stephen Dane, credited as a Hardware Consultant,Ghostbusters Credits was the fabricator of the original Ectomobile. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 66. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Working with a basic 1959 Cadillac ambulance, hardware consultant Steven Dane designed and modified the final vehicle." *On October 5, 1983, Dane started working on Ecto-1. He visited the primary ambulance in the backlot at The Burbank Studios. He took reference photos and measurements then went home. Dane drew up isometrics of Ecto-1 and its roof rack and various views and elevations of the exterior and interior. Dane spent the longest amount of time in his gig working on the Ecto-1 design. **After Reitman approved Dane's design, studio painters and prop makers at The Burbank Studios Mill went to work on paint and detailing. Dane oversaw construction and directed them on building the car based off his designs. After about two weeks, the paint job and details were blocked out. The prop makers also repaired the ambulance to driving condition, cleaned the interior, and installed equipment. **By the time it shipped on October 19, the ambulance was about half-done. Dane bought parts for the roof rack. Once it was done, it was shipped to New York where it was attached to Ecto-1. The finished Ecto-1 wasn't an exact duplicate of Dane's designs. Dane originally drew the Proton Packs to lay sideways on Ecto-1's gurney but the prop makes changed that so the packs were upright at a slight angle. Some parts on the roof rack changed position from the design. They were on top of each other or faced in a different direction. After one to two days of finishing touches, Ecto-1 was ready for filming. "Beyond the Marquee: The Web-Series (Episode 70) – The GHOSTBUSTERS Ecto-1 Car and Designer Stephen Dane" 9/18/14 *In previous drafts of the first movie, Ecto-1 was originally to be a 1975 Cadillac ambulance bought for only $600 but by the time the final script was written, the price had escalated to $1400 for an even older 1959 model. During filming, inflation increased the cost to $4800.Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 50 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In all previous drafts -- including Aykroyd's -- the basic vehicle from which the 'Ectomobile' would evolve was specified to be a 1975 Cadillac ambulance, secured for a bargain basement price of only $600. By the time the final script was written, the price had escalated to $1400 -- for an even older 1959 model. During filming, inflation struck once more, and the pricetag was upped to $4800." *Dan Aykroyd's original Ecto-1 was an all-black, rather sinister-looking machine with flashing white and purple strobe lights that gave it a strange, ultraviolet aura. While going through the script, the cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs first pointed out the black design would be a problem since part of the movie would be shot at night. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 67 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Dan Aykroyd's original Ectomobile was an all-black rather sinister-looking machine with flashing white and purple strobe lights that gave it a strange, ultraviolet aura. Though kept essentially intact through all the drafts, the vehicle concept -- suggesting a hearse rather more than an ambulance -- was clearly more in keeping with the darker tone of Aykroyd's first draft than with the lighter ones that followed it. It was cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, however, who first pointed out a serious problem with it." Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 67 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Joe Medjuck recounts: "The Ectomobile would have been nothing more than a couple of headlights driving through the streets. So, keeping that in mind, we decided we'd better go with a white ambulance trimmed in red." *Dan Aykroyd's original Ecto-1 had some extranormal powers, such as the ability to dematerialize. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 67 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis recounts: "Dan's script was set in the near future and there was much more fantasy in it. In that script, the Ectomobile was able to dematerialize. When we anchored the script more in reality and set the time in the present, that concept had to go. Besides, it's funnier so see them in an old ambulance that barely runs." One use of it would be to elude police pursuit. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 95 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Harold Ramis recounts: "The encounter between the policeman and the Ectomobile is the only scene in the final shooting script which suggested that the vehicle itself had some extranormal powers -- a carryover from Dan Aykroyd's initial draft in which the Ectomobile was equipped with an advanced dematerializing capability that allowed its operators, functioning somewhat outside the law, to readily elude police pursuit." *$4800 was a rather large sum at the time for a used vehicle in such disrepair - but is comparable to about $10,686.44 in 2012 dollars CPI Inflation Calculator *A second Cadillac was bought in case of any maintenance problems during filming but only the primary was fully converted. The secondary was used solely for early "premodification" scenes. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 66. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Although a second backup vehicle was procured as a hedge against maintenance problems, only the primary ambulance was fully converted. In the end, the backup was used solely for early 'premodification' scenes." *Ecto-1 was promoting the 1984 film shortly after it was released in theaters. It drove around New York City with one of the Ghostbusters driving it in costume. Ecto-1 caused many accidents because other drivers lost control when they spotted the now-famous car. *In a deleted scene of the first movie, there was encounter between a policeman and the Ecto-1. It was the only scene in the final shooting script that suggested the vehicle had some extranormal powers carried over from Aykroyd's initial draft. It was removed because it slowed down the montage. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 95 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Though the ticketing sequence was shot and cut into the film, it was ultimately removed because it slowed down the breakneck pace of the montage." *After shooting moved to Los Angeles, the second unit continued doing a couple of shots in New York with Ecto-1 and it broke down. Beyond the Marquee Joe Medjuck Interview 9/15/14 Ivan Reitman also felt it was asking too much from the audience. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 95 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Ivan Reitman says: "There was no reason for the Ectomobile to have magical powers. It had been done with the Bluesmobile in The Blues Brothers -- where the car did somersaults and things like that -- and I didn't think it was particularly successful. I don't like movies that have no rules -- where anything is possible. We were already asking the audience to believe that there was a piece of equipment that could trap a ghost. Asking them to accept an Ectomobile with supernatural powers was just too much." *In Ghostbusters II, Ecto-1 was backfiring and spewing smoke. This was not done by special effects as the Cadillac truly was in a poor state of repair. It finally "died" on the Brooklyn Bridge. The NYPD fined the filmmakers because the Brooklyn Bridge does not have breakdown lanes and Ecto-1 was blocking traffic. *Before Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released, the original (and now rusty and literally falling apart) Ecto-1 was restored to promote the game. Dan Aykroyd was shocked at the high quality of the restoration. *There had been 3 Miller-Meteor Ambulances to portray the 2 vehicles, the pre-Ecto-1 which was never transformed, Ecto-1 which was originally a gold ambulance and Ecto-1a. Trivia *On page nine of Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #9, Steven Dane's schematic is on the upper right section of Egon's board. *Ecto-1 was added as a Kickstarter exclusive upgrade to Cryptozotic Entertainment's Ghostbusters: The Board Game after the first stretch goal of $300,000 was achieved. Ghostbusters: The Board Game Update 3 2/11/15 *On page 18, panel 4, of Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #1, on the brown cork board, are Stephen Dane's isometric sketches of the pack rack and Ecto-1. *On page 18 of Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #2, in panel 3, on the upper right of the chalkboard, partially blocked by Egon's head is Stephen Dane's detailed final sketch of Ecto-1 from the first movie. References Appearances *'Ghostbusters' **Chapter 07: Fried Eggs & Zuul **Chapter 09: The 1st Customer **Chapter 11: "We Got One!" **Chapter 14: Welcome Aboard **Chapter 15: E.P.A. Man **Chapter 20: Keymaster **Chapter 21: Out of Biz **Chapter 24: Biblical **Chapter 25: Working the Crowd **Chapter 26: Gozer **Chapter 28: Crossing Streams *'Ghostbusters II' **Chapter 01: Start Secondary Canon Appearances *'88MPH Studios' **The Zeddemore Factor **Legion 1 **Legion 2 **Legion 3 **Legion 4 *'Ghost Busted (manga)' **Chapter 1 **Chapter 3 **Chapter 6 *'Ghostbusters: The Video Game' **Stylized Version **Stylized Portable Versions *'IDW Comics' **"The Other Side 1" **"The Other Side 2" **"Past, Present, and Future" **"Tainted Love" **"What in Samhain Just Happened?!" **"Guess What's Coming to Dinner?" **"Ghostbusters: Infestation #1" **"Ghostbusters: Infestation #2" **Ongoing Series ***Volume 2 ****Issue #6 **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ghostbusters ***Issue #1 ***Issue #2 ***Issue #3 ***Issue #4 **"Times Scare!" **The X-Files: Conspiracy: Ghostbusters Also See *Ecto-1a *Ecto-1b *Ecto-1/Animated *Ecto-10 *Ecto-2 (Beeline) Gallery Overall Primary Canon Ecto 01.jpg|The Cadillac before restoration GB1film2005chapter07sc031.png GB1film2005chapter09sc002.png|Under the hood Ecto-101.png| Ecto-102.png|Rooftop GB1film2005chapter25sc004.png|Rooftop Ecto-103.png|The boys in grey respond to their first call in style Ecto1FrontView01.jpg GB1film2005chapter24sc065.png GB1film2005chapter24sc062.png GB1film2005chapter25sc005.png GB1film1999chapter20sc024.png GB1film1999chapter20sc025.png GB1film2005chapter25sc011.png|Rear GB1film2005chapter28sc011.png|Rear Ecto-104.png| GB1film1999chapter11sc002.png GB1film1999chapter11sc003.png GB1film1999chapter20sc023.png GB1film1999chapter20sc032.png GB1film2005chapter14sc010.png GB1film2005chapter14sc016.png Ecto1InGB201.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters II GB2film1999chapter01sc041.png Ecto1InGB202.jpg GB2film1999chapter01sc042.png GB2film1999chapter01sc043.png GB2film1999chapter01sc089.png GB2film1999chapter01sc044.png Ecto1InGB203.jpg GB2film1999chapter01sc045.png Ecto1InGB204.jpg Secondary Canon Ecto1GBLegion01.jpg|As seen in Legion miniseries Ecto1GBLegion02.jpg|As seen in Legion miniseries Ecto1GBZeddemoreFactor.jpg|As seen in Zeddemore Factor Ecto1GBMangaCh3.jpg|As seen in Ghost Busted (manga) Chapter 3 Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc03.png|The Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions) Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc01.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc02.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc04.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc05.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc06.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc07.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc08.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc09.png| Ecto1inGBTVGSVsc10.png| Ecto1OtherSide.jpg|As seen in "The Other Side 1" Ecto1TheOtherSide02.jpg|Dumped in East River in "The Other Side 2" Ecto1PastPresentAndFuture.jpg|As seen in Past, Present, and Future Ecto1TaintedLove.jpg|As seen in Tainted Love Ecto1WhatInSamhainJustHappened01.jpg|As seen in What in Samhain Just Happened?! Ecto1WhatInSamhainJustHappened02.jpg|As seen in What in Samhain Just Happened?! Ecto1GuessWhatsComingToDinner.jpg|As seen in Guess What's Coming to Dinner? Ecto1Infestation01.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #1 Ecto1Infestation02.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1Infestation03.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1GBInfestation04.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1GBInfestation05.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1GBInfestation06.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1GBInfestation07.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1GBInfestation08.jpg|As seen in Ghostbusters: Infestation #2 Ecto1IDWOngoing01.jpg|In 1984 memory in Volume 2 Issue #6 Ecto1IDWTMNTGB01.jpg|As seen in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Issue #2 Ecto1IDWTMNTGB02.jpg|As seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #2 Ecto1IDWTMNTGB03.jpg|As seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #3 Ecto1IDWTMNTGB04.jpg|As seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #4 EgonSpenglerIDW29.jpg|Non-Canon Reference in Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #1 Ecto1TimesScare.jpg|As seen in Times Scare! Ecto1ConspiracySubCover.jpg|As seen on The X-Files: Conspiracy: Ghostbusters Sub Cover Non Canon Ecto1Production01.jpg|John Daveikis' design concept Ecto1Production02.jpg|Steve Dane's schematics Category:Vehicles Category:GB1 Vehicles Category:GB2 Vehicles Category:Ghost Busted Manga Vehicles Category:GB:TVG Vehicles Category:Ghostbusters 88MPH Vehicles Category:IDW Vehicles